TAMPA, Fla. — The lasting image of Carlos Rodón from the 2023 season is of him turning his back on New York Yankees pitching coach Matt Blake after walking off the mound from one of the worst starts in MLB history.

This is who the Yankees are relying on to be the star of their rotation with uncertainty surrounding ace Gerrit Cole’s elbow.

It’s a precarious position for the Yankees to be in considering how Rodón’s first season with the Yankees unfolded. Rodón is one of just four Yankees in the team’s history to pitch at least 60 innings in a season and finish with an ERA of 6.85 or worse (David Cone, 2000; Shawn Chacón, 2006; and Hank Johnson, 1925, are the others). For Cone and Chacón, it was their last year with the organization. Rodón still has five more seasons under contract.

Yankees manager Aaron Boone said he’s expecting Rodón to start Game 2 of the regular season, with the Opening Day starter still to be determined (Marcus Stroman is the obvious candidate). But given Rodón’s six-year, $162 million contract, he’s expected to pitch to ace-like standards. The Yankees thought they were getting a second ace when they signed him in free agency. If there was ever a time to pitch like one, it’s now.

“I don’t think Carlos needs any more pressure than the perceived pressure that’s on him,” Boone said. “Coming in last year and going through the injury situation that he had and then having a down year and not performing up to his standard, there’s plenty of noise around that with Gerrit Cole here or Gerrit Cole out. He wants to put last year behind him. So, is there more pressure? Everyone’s watching Carlos right now.

“We’re making stuff out of spring starts every time, so there’s a lot at stake for Carlos.”

The most important statistic for a pitcher in spring training is if he’s able to make his next outing. Nothing else matters. But for Rodón, each pitch he’s thrown this spring has been closely monitored. In his previous outing, Rodón’s fastball velocity sat at 93.2 mph and touched 94.8 mph.

That led to panic on social media over the state of his fastball because the Yankees said earlier in the spring that he was touching 97 mph in his bullpens. But in his start Wednesday, Rodón’s fastball was where it should be at this point of the year — sitting 94.6 mph and touching 97.3 mph.

“What we’ve seen out of him physically suggests he’s in a good spot, so I don’t get too emotional or overreact to an early March downtick in velo one outing as you’re building up,” Boone said. “I think in a way we’ve probably seen that with all of our starters to this point.”

With added velocity from his previous start, Rodón delivered his best outing of the spring: four innings, one run, one hit, zero walks and three strikeouts over 68 pitches. The lone run Rodón allowed came on a 96.6 mph center-cut fastball to Boston’s Triston Casas near the end of his outing. Outside of the Casas homer, Rodón allowed only two other hard-hit balls.

Rodón said Wednesday was a confidence-boosting outing for himself, and it was an encouraging performance just two weeks away from when the stats matter. But more than just the numbers, after battling forearm, back and hamstring injuries last year, Rodón just wants to be in position to make his first scheduled start of the regular season.

“It would be nice to start off the season and actually pitch opening weekend,” Rodón said. “I don’t want to miss any more Opening Days. That’s for sure.

“I will take any game, whether it’s one or five or seven or 12. Whatever game it is, if my name is called, I’ll take it. Doesn’t matter.”

And the Yankees hope they get the 2021 and 2022 versions of Rodón, when he was one of the best pitchers in the sport and a National League Cy Young Award candidate with the San Francisco Giants. With Cole expected to miss an unknown amount of time, the Yankees are going to need someone to step up. Rodón has the most potential to take on that role.

“Hopefully,” Boone said, “he gets back to being a frontline starting pitcher in the league.”